Electrostimulation assemblies have been used especially for treating arrhythmia, but also within the scope of special treatments of other organs, such as, for example, the brain, for quite some time. Implantable systems for permanent and long-term use typically comprise an electrostimulation device which is positioned in a certain suitable location in the body, and an electrode lead which conducts the stimulation pulses to the treatment site. Because the available variety of electrostimulation devices and electrode leads—made by numerous different manufacturers—is diverse, and given that they may need to be combined for use, knowledge of the relevant design features and parameters of the electrode lead is required for the concrete treatment. Electrode leads are thus assigned electrode identifiers (e.g., type, serial number and the like), by means of which the relevant parameters can be determined, and which thus are transmitted either directly to the stimulation device or to a center of a clinic or cardiology practice preparing and managing the treatment.
The situation is similar when using systems for detecting the body's action potentials, in which the electrostimulation device is replaced by a discharge device connected to the electrode lead, and with combined discharge and stimulation assemblies. These are also covered by the field of the present invention.
Traditionally, electrode identifiers printed on the packaging of an electrode lead are read from the packaging during the initial use of the electrode lead and are entered manually in a work computer of the corresponding system, where they are processed to the extent that is required so as to ultimately be able to control the operation of the electrostimulation device in keeping with the parameters of the electrode lead.
In addition, assemblies in which the electrode identifiers are stored electronically on memory chips within the electrode lead are known, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,235, for example. However, such an additional electronic component in the lead increases the complexity of the design thereof and consequently results in higher costs, and in any case tends to lead to a greater likelihood of failure. Moreover, an interface for reading out the memory chip is required with an implantable device, so that it is far from possible to combine all standard devices with an accordingly equipped electrode lead.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-identified problems.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrostimulation assembly which is improved in terms of costs and reliability and which is to be produced universally from standard components. An object is achieved by an electrostimulation assembly having the characteristics of claim 1. Moreover, an electrode lead having the features of claim 11 and a cable adapter having the features of claim 14 are additionally provided. All of which are within the field of the present invention. Advantageous refinements of the present inventive concept are the subject matter of the respective dependent claims.